


When I Return

by IdunAurora



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Harry Potter Setting, Angst with a Happy Ending, Day Six, M/M, Soulmates, victuuriweek
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-11
Updated: 2017-02-11
Packaged: 2018-09-23 15:23:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,101
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9663422
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IdunAurora/pseuds/IdunAurora
Summary: When Yuuri Katsuki accepted the job as an auror for the International Auror Association only a year after graduating from Mahoutokoro clad in shimmering golden robes, he hadn't planned on falling in love. He especially hadn't planned on falling in love with a world-renowned Quidditch player. Viktor Nikiforov, Seeker on the Russian National Quidditch team, cursed himself every day for having tripped over his feet for a man that could go to work in the morning never to return again. Yet, he thanked the universe endlessly for having brought Yuuri to him, and he wouldn't want it any other way.However, years and years of endless uncertainty is starting to take its toll, and when Yuuri is sent away on a particularly long and dangerous mission, Viktor is just about ready to burst at the seams and break.But Yuuri always said "when." He never said "if."The small detail and the letters sent back and forth were the only things keeping Viktor sane for a long time. Those and the decision to finally adopting a poodle, the dog Viktor and Yuuri had bonded over in the first place.Victuuriweek day 6: BondsPrompts: Communication, proposals, soulmates





	

**Author's Note:**

> Rated Teen to be safe.  
> Have some angst (with a happy ending) set in Rowling's wondrous world I fell in love with a long time ago (is it 18 years already?) and never returned from.  
> And in case there are doubts, Viktor went to Koldovstoretz. He and Yuuri met after their school years.

It was a cold evening in late August when Viktor finally apparated to the doorstep of his home on the outskirts of St. Petersburg, his Firebolt Supreme in hand. He was exhausted after a long day of practice and utterly and completely spent. The Russian National Quidditch team’s coach, Yakov Feltsman, had pushed them hard the whole day despite the fact that there were months to go before the next season. Viktor had been chasing that godforsaken golden ball across the Quidditch field and beyond for hours on end in the harshly beating wind and occasional rain, catching and releasing the Snitch in what felt like an endless loop while practicing diversion maneuvers and catching tehcniques.

As if that wasn’t enough, the whole team seemed to have been on edge the whole day. Georgi was still mourning over his ex-girlfriend, Mila had stepped out of bed on the wrong foot, Yuri had been yelling at Yakov the entire day and the old man himself had certainly grown at least ten years older during practice. In short, it had been a godawful day for the Russian Quidditch Team.

And when Viktor stepped into the house, he instantly knew his bad day wasn’t over yet.

“Yuuri?”

His boyfriend was sitting on the couch in the living room, still dressed in his midnight blue auror robes. Dark circles were clearly visible beneath his eyes and his face held a grim expression that Viktor really didn’t want to see him wearing ever.

All thoughts concerning Quidditch practice went flying out the window as Viktor left the broom by the door and headed directly into the room. However awful his day had been up until that point didn’t matter in the slightest anymor, because there was never anything more awful than finding Yuuri at home in work clothes.

It always meant the same thing, and while Viktor knew it was his work, he disliked it from the bottom of his heart.

He especially disliked it when the dark blue robes with the silver A were accompanied by a stormclouded expression.

Yuuri stood up from the couch and faced Viktor.

“I have to leave tonight.”

Viktor could already feel the salt stinging painfully in the back of his eyes.

“Where?” his voice was barely above a whisper. Yuuri sighed softly and collected him into his embrace, letting Viktor’s silent tears fall down on his shoulder.

“Japan. We’re teaming up to hunt down a coven of dark wizards, and time is against us.” Viktor drew a shaky breath.

“How long?”

“…I don’t know.”

Viktor’s hands clenched into fists, digging into the infuraiting fabric of Yuuri’s auror robes.

“If you die, I’ll find you and kill you all over again for leaving me.” He hissed, tears flowing in angry streams. He felt a wetness against his own shoulder and knew Yuuri was crying, too.

“You won’t have to.” He promised, voice thick. “I’ll always come back to you.”

“…at least stay for dinner.”

“I can’t.”

Viktor sobbed as his glass heart shattered. This world was too cruel. He loved Yuuri, but he absolutely hated his choice of profession. Hadn’t Yuuri been an excellent International Auror, well-renowned for his skill for defense against the dark arts, Viktor would have talked him into retiring a long time ago and do something else instead. Like playing Quidditch, as he was a skilled Keeper, too. He had played for Mahoutokoro when he was still in school, after all.

But no, he couldn’t talk Yuuri into that. He was too good at what he did. So instead, Viktor took a deep breath.

“Can I write you?”

“Wait for me to write you first, then you can.” Yuuri said softly, untying the velvet band that kept Viktor’s hair in a ponytail to run his fingers through the silver strands. Viktor’s own hand entangled in Yuuri’s black locks.

“Will you come home faster if you have something to look forward to?” He tried, desperately wanting to keep Yuuri with him just for a little while longer. “If you have something to fight for?”

Yuuri pulled away slightly to look Viktor in the eye, both their faces stained with tears, Yuuri’s glasses a little askew and foggy on his nose.

“I have something worth fighting for and something to look forward to.” He said fondly. “You know I do. But…” Yuuri paused.

Viktor held his breath.

“Yes?”

Pools of dark chocolate met azure blue with a determined spark.

“When I return,” Yuuri said, gaze unwavering, “will you marry me?”

Viktor’s heart stopped as conflicting emotions washed over him all at once. He wanted to laugh and cry, smile and yell, the happiness blooming in his chest mixing with anger and sadness all in one. As a result, he cried even harder, grabbed Yuuri’s cheeks and pulled him in for a fierce kiss in an attempt to convey all his feelings through physical contact rather than words.

“Of course I’ll marry you!” He all but growled into Yuuri’s shoulder, hitting his back with a fisted hand over and over. Yuuri sobbed, attempting to rub soothing circles into Viktor’s back despite his trembling fingers. “But if you make me a widower before I even get to place a ring on your finger, I’ll never forgive you.”

Yuuri’s breath hitched, then he exhaled as slowly as he could.

“I’ll be back before you know it.”

Viktor snorted.

“You have no idea how much of a lie that is. You haven’t even left and I already miss you.”

“I love you.” Viktor couldn’t take that. Not when Yuuri was leaving right after a marriage proposal.

“Lie to me.” He begged instead. Yuuri complied.

“I hate you. Despise you. I’m leaving forever and I never want to nor will see you again.” Viktor’s sobs where coming out in irregular intervals by now.

“Fuck you.” He hissed angrily, kissing him again. “I refuse to wash the bedsheets while you’re gone.”

“Viktor…”

“I will make Yakov’s days a living hell.”

“Viktor, please…”

“And I wont sleep until you return.”

“Vitya!” Yuuri sighed, exasperated. “Please. Please, take care of yourself while I’m gone. I worry about you too much already as it is.”

“Not fair!” Viktor exclaimed angrily, glaring at the raven. “ _I’m_ not the one with a job that requires my life being on the line every single day! You don’t even have the _right_ to worry with a profession like that in comparison!”

“Our choices of profession are hardly relevant.” Yuuri insisted. “Even if you sold flowers, I would still worry.”

“For the flowers, probably.”

A thin smile ghosted across Yuuri’s lips.

“Mostly.” He joked back before tilting his head up to kiss Viktor in turn.

Reluctantly, they parted and Yuuri took his cloak from the couch to place it over his shoulders. Viktor adjusted the fabric and fastened it in front of Yuuri’s robes, craving any contact he could get for as long as possible. When he was done, Yuuri caught his right hand in both of his and brought it to his lips, kissing the ring finger softly.

“I won’t leave you.” He reassured Viktor.

Despite the fresh tears escaping his eyes and getting caught in his silver lashes, Viktor managed a shaky smile.

“I know.”

Yuuri nodded, then let go off Viktor’s hand and pulled on his black, fingerless gloves, getting ready to apparate to wherever he was going. Viktor took a deep breath.

“Yuuri.”

His boyfriend - no, fiancé - halted his movements, waiting for him to continue.

“I love you, too.”

Yuuri’s heart-wrenching smile mirrored Viktor’s own. With one last nod, he turned sharply on his heel and disappeared with a loud ‘pop.’

Viktor sank down onto his knees on the floor, tears and sobs escaping in uncontrollable floods. He cursed Yuuri, he cursed the auror community, he cursed the dark wizards, and the universe in general for being infuriatingly cruel.

 _Why in the name of_ Merlin  _did I have to fall in love with an auror?!_

 

Viktor called in sick for a week after Yuuri left for his mission in Japan. He stopped eating altogether and just laid in bed, staring up at the ceiling and hugging Yuuri’s bedsheets and pillow, desperately clinging onto whatever of his scent still lingered there. All too soon, however, the familiar, soothing smell of sandalwood, rain and spices started to fade and Viktor cried until he was completely drained from liquid and cried dry tears instead. His eyes stung, his lungs screamed for oxygen and his heart ached furiously along with his empty stomach. Yet, all thoughts of food only made him nauseous.

Mila, Yuri and Georgi apparated right into his living room as soon as they realized what had actually transpired and forced him to drink water and eat soup. Viktor wanted to yell at them and tell them to leave him alone, but he found his voice didn’t work anymore. His throat was too dry and his body thoroughly exhausted, and Georgi was certain Viktor had also gone mute in grief and worry.

Viktor was inclined to agree with him.

 

It took three and a half weeks for Yuuri’s first letter to arrive. Viktor promptly pushed past Mila to get to the snow-white owl first, detaching the letter with trembling hands and leaving his fellow teammate to gift Yuki with food while he rolled open the piece of parchment. He was immediately greeted by a familiar, neat handwriting:

_Dear Vitya,_  
_As you might deduce from my letter, I’m alive and even well. I deeply regret not being able to write you sooner, but it would have been all too risky. Don’t send Yuki back, use an owl from the post office instead, will you?_

_We have made progress here, but we need to be cautious, and hence, I won’t return for some time yet. I dearly wish I will be home in time for your birthday. People do wish to spend Christmas with their families as well, after alll. However, I should be able to write you letters more often from now on. I hope I can keep that promise._

_I sincerely hope you will continue practicing and that you will take good care of yourself, because I wish for nothing more than return home to see you well and in good health. I’ve been thinking about it for some time now, so I’ll just throw it in here: we should get a pet. Other than Yuki. Someone to keep you company._

_Think about it, at least._

_I miss you, I love you, and I can’t wait to be back in your arms again._

_Forever yours,_

_Yuuri_

Viktor clutched the letter to his chest before sitting down on the couch to read it a second time, then a third. He read it over and over while Mila took it upon herself to make dinner, clinging onto Yuuri’s every written word. He then hurried to the bedroom and pulled out a piece of parchment, a quill and some ink and wrote a reply immediately.

If he hurried, he would be able to send it the same evening.

 

The following day, Viktor found himself in a pet store in the middle of the small, magical district in St. Petersburg. He knew exactly what he was looking for.

The owner smiled at him when he stepped inside.

“ _Dobroe utro._ ” He greeted, helping a rat back into its cage by the counter. “How can I help you, sir?”

“Do you have any poodles?” The owner lit up.

“Of course!” He said, motioning for Viktor to follow. “A new litter of pups arrived only yesterday from the breeder.”

Half an hour later, Viktor walked home with a hazel-brown standard poodle puppy in his arms.

“Makkachin.” Viktor murmured into the fur, hugging the ball of fluff to his chest, burying his face into the soft locks.

There had been no other options; it had to be a poodle. That was what had brought him and Yuuri together years ago, after all. That night at the Quidditch World Cup when dark wizards had invaded the camp, bringing dementors along, and Viktor had seen a patronus identical to his own run across the field.

If the twin poodle patronuses weren’t a sign that Viktor Nikiforov and Yuuri Katsuki were soulmates, they might as well have been muggles.

 

Yuuri kept his promise of sending letters more often, and Viktor replied to each and every one immediately when they arrived. While the parchment was often stained with tears and occasional ink blobs, it was still reassuring to know that Yuuri was alive and probably well, too, since his handwriting continued to be neat and steady. It really wasn’t the ideal form of communication, but for now, they didn’t have a choice, and it was still better than nothing at all.

Getting Makkachin had been the best decision Viktor had ever made, apart from asking Yuuri out. The puppy was constantly excited and took an instant liking to Viktor, greeting him when he got home from practice and keeping him company, sensing his sadness and wanting to cheer him up. The poodle forced Viktor to go out for walks and to the store, and as if the pooch wasn’t already all too intelligent, she downright refused to eat unless Viktor did so, too. Soon enough, she started accompanying him to practice, much to Mila’s delight. She sat next to Yakov while the players were up in the air, and if Viktor had been in a better headspace, he would have noticed Yakov thanking the dog with small treats for making sure Viktor showed up to practice at all.

Still, Viktor cried himself to sleep every night, hugging Makkachin to his chest. The poodle didn’t mind, sleeping soundly beside him and waking him up with wet kisses every morning.

While he was grateful for the letters and came to love Makkachin like she was his firstborn child, nothing could fill the enormous void Yuuri left behind every time he left. There was a gaping hole in the house and in Viktor’s chest that could only be filled by a bespectacled, raven-haired Japanese auror, and no amount of ink on paper or adorable puppies could ever hope to replace him. In his worst nightmares, he reached out to Yuuri while his fiancé fell into black voids clad in ripped and blood-stained clothes, his skin white as snow, brown eyes lifeless and empty. In his sweetest dreams, Yuuri lay beside him in bed, held him and kissed him like he was suffocating and Viktor was the air he needed to breathe in order to stay alive.

That was usually when Viktor was pulled out of his dreams, and the void only grew in size as he cried into Makkachin’s fur.

Yuuri’s birthday came and went.

Viktor wrapped the new invisibility cloak into beautiful indigo wrapping paper and placed it on the nightstand on Yuuri’s side of the bed. The golden ring he kept in his pocket at all times, willing Yuuri to come back so he could place it where it belonged: on his right ring finger.

He didn’t sleep that night.

 

The house was a complete disaster.

“Oh, Vitya…” Yuuri sighed, wiping a tear from the corner of his eye as he took in the sight. Clothes laid scattered all over the place, the tower of dishes in the kitchen sink was mere inches from the ceiling, spiderwebs were forming in every tiny corner and the place was littered with dustbunnies. He headed to the bedroom.

Sure enough, Viktor hadn’t changed the sheets.

For almost four months.

Yuuri would have wrinkled his nose in disgust, but his heart clenched in his chest and he held back a sob instead.

Viktor was still at practice, he gathered as he found the Firebolt Supreme missing, as well as the poodle, Makkachin, that Viktor had talked so much about in his letters. It had been the right thing to do, suggesting that he get a pet to keep him company. That Viktor chose a poodle was a given - it was their shared patronus form, after all.

A mere confirmation that they really did belong together.

Despite being completely drained and utterly exhausted, Yuuri shedded his auror robes and took only a shower before getting to work. His right hand was sore from all the intense battles during the past three and a half months, he had more bruises than he could count, and the newly acquired scars on his arms, back, chest and, regrettably, his face glared back at him in the mirror, angry and red. They were made by curses and therefore couldn’t be removed.

Oh, well.

He would have to get used to them, too, especially the one reaching from his left temple to right under his left eye, and the one on his left shoulder, inches from his heart. Viktor would freak out something fierce, and the only thing Yuuri could do was reassure him he was all right and still alive.

All cleaned up and with a set of fresh robes on, he took his all-too-familiar spruce wand with a phoenix feather core and started cleaning. He changed the sheets and separated the clean clothes from the dirty ones, leaving the bathtub to wash the clothes while he got rid of every single dustbunny and spiderweb he could find. The tower of dishes started cleaning themselves and flew back, dry and ready to go, into the cupboards. The dusty curtains in the windows flew down and were replaced by clean ones in the blink of an eye, and a couple of hours later, the house was as good as new.

Yuuri didn’t stop there, however. All the clothes and other fabrics clean and dry and back in the closets, he drew a bath and cast a spell over it to keep the water at just the right temperature. Then, he headed to the kitchen to make his and Viktor’s favorite food. The smell of deep-fried pork cutlets, eggs and spices soon filled the kitchen, making his own mouth water. He had lived on minimal amounts of food for three and a half months, and was really looking forward to a proper meal.

Knowing Viktor would be home soon, Yuuri flicked his wrist to make the table cater itself, filling two boat-shaped bowls of violet-colored china with rice, vegetables, egg, pork cutlets and sauce. Chopsticks placed themselves neatly on top of the bowls, and two silver goblets floated through the air and landed neatly on the table, a bottle of wine immediately tipping some deep red liquid into them. Lastly, Yuuri pulled out a bouquet of blue roses from his wand and placed them in a vase, the soft, floral aroma mixing nicely with the food.

All done, Yuuri conjured some parchement from thin air and hastily wrote a letter to the International Auror Association, confirming he had arrived back home safe and sound, that no one had followed him, and that he would be back at the office on Monday the following week to write the official report on the mission together with the team that had, somehow, all returned from Japan with their lives intact. Well, Celestino had been transported to St. Mungos in London for treatment, but they had already confirmed he would be okay. He had already woken up, after all, and his memory seemed to be just fine. The Cruciatus curse was thoroughly unforgiving, but Celestino had pulled through like the champion he was.

Still, merely thinking about what had happened to his (former) mentor made Yuuri’s skin crawl. He had endured almost an hour of the curse, somehow, while the longest Yuuri had ever been subjected to it was ten minutes. He couldn’t for the life of him fathom how the Italian had managed without losing his mind.

Traumatic images floated to the front of his mind and Yuuri inhaled deeply, willing them to stay away as he tied the letter to Yuki’s leg, petting her affectionately and handing her some candy before sending her on her way. He then headed to his study and pulled out the pensive from its cupboard, pulling memories from the past three and a half months from his head and placing them in the silvery substance in the stone vessel. He couldn’t erase them completely without obliviating himself, but he could store them further away so they wouldn’t bother him too much. Viktor would be home soon, and he was all Yuuri wanted to focus on.

Viktor wasn’t the only one who had been fighting a void in his chest for almost four months, after all.

Neatly, Yuuri placed every last letter Viktor had sent him over the months in the special drawer in his desk where he reserved only for them. Every little piece of parchment Viktor had ever written to him when he was out on missions could be found inside, most of them tear-stained and written in a messy handwriting that well showed how much Viktor’s hands tended to tremble as he wrote as fast as he could, always in fear that one of those letters would be the last one Yuuri ever read. No matter how many times Yuuri reassured him, Viktor would always worry, and in the end, Yuuri couldn’t blame him, either.

He could only hope his fiancé would like the news he came home with this time around.

Exhaustion clouded his mind as he slumped down on the couch in the living room, the food still fresh and delicious on the dining room table and the bath still warm and welcoming behind the closed bathroom door. He couldn’t help it; the familiar surroundings slowly lulled him to sleep, Viktor’s familiar features appearing in his mind as he let his eyes flutter close. He reached into the pocket of his pants, checking that the small, rounded piece of gold was still there.

It was.

 

Viktor apparated home, cold and chilled to the bone after practicing in the unforgiving Russian winter weather. Makkachin ran through the door the moment Viktor opened it, but Viktor himself stilled the moment the door closed behind him.

The house was clean.

And there was an unmistakeable smell of katsudon from the kitchen.

Firebolt Supreme clattering to the floor, Viktor all but sprinted to the living room and straight to the couch. He jumped over the backrest, landing right on top of his fiancé, who barely had the time to open his eyes before Viktor crashed his lips onto his. Tears flowed freely from his eyes as he cupped Yuuri’s cheeks in his hands, smiling through the sobs and kissing him over and over again, reassuring himself that it was all real and that Yuuri finally, finally had returned home in one piece. As he pulled away, he noticed the new scar on his face and frowned, tracing it with his index finger, worry flashing in his tear-filled blue eyes.

“You’re staying.” Was the first thing he said. It was a downright demand. He pulled the golden ring from his pocket and promptly placed it on Yuuri’s right ring finger, pressing his lips to it reverently as if he could seal it in place with a kiss. “You’re staying right here, because I’m not letting you go ever again. I can’t…” Viktor’s voice broke with a sob.

A smile spread on Yuuri’s face as he reached up to wipe the tears from his fiancé’s eyes. Without a word, he pulled the golden engagement band from his own pocket and slid it onto Viktor’s right ring finger, pressing a soft kiss to it when it was securely in place. The precious metal glinted in the soft light of the oil lamps.

“I applied for a desk job.”

Viktor stilled, wide-eyed, his mouth slightly parted in surprise.

“You… you…” words escaped him, but Yuuri understood perfectly.

“I asked to take over as coordinator after Madame Baranovskaya. She’s retiring by the end of the year.”

Viktor only stared at him for a moment, stunned to silence. Then, understanding what Yuuri was telling him, he pulled him to sit up and gave him an earth-shattering kiss that left them both breathless, wrapped tightly in each other’s embrace.

“I’ll curse them if they don’t give you the job.” Viktor growled against Yuuri’s lips. Yuuri grinned into the kiss.

“If you did, I’d have every reason in the world to go after you.”

Viktor laughed, warmth spreading from his chest all the way to his toes and fingertips as he kissed Yuuri again and again and again, relishing in the fact that he was finally home.

Hopefully forever.


End file.
